Baggage tractor driver dies in LAX airfield accident

A worker was killed early today at Los Angeles International Airport when he lost control of a baggage tractor on an airport service road, authorities said.

The man was identified by Los Angeles County coroner’s officials as Cesar Valenzuela, 51, of Los Angeles. Valenzuela may have been ejected from the tug and then run over by it, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. The accident happened at about 5 a.m.

“The driver of the ground service equipment vehicle either had a medical issue or somehow lost control of the vehicle,” airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said.

The tug came to a rest near an airfield fire station, and fire personnel immediately responded, Castles said. They found Valenzuela unconscious, and paramedics couldn’t revive him, she said.

The Coroner’s Department is investigating the death, a spokesman said.